In the part belonging to Orchomenus, on the left of the road from
Anchisia, on the slope of the mountain is a temple to Hymnian Artemis,
in whose worship the Mantineans also share. The goddess has both a
priestess and priest, who not only have no intercourse with one another
by marriage, but all their life long keep separate in other respects.
They have neither baths nor meals together as most people do, nor do
they ever go into a stranger’s house. I know that similar habits are
found among the priests of Ephesian Artemis, called by themselves
Histiatores but by the citizens Essenes, but they are only kept up for
one year and no longer. To Hymnian Artemis they also hold an annual
festival.
The old town of Orchomenus was on the top of a hill, and there are
still ruins of the walls and market-place. But the town in our day
is under the circuit of the old walls. And among the notable sights
are a well, from which they get their water, and temples of Poseidon
and Aphrodite, and their statues in stone. And near the town is a
wooden statue of Artemis in a large cedar-tree, whence the goddess is
called Artemis of the Cedar-tree. And below the town are some heaps
of stones apart from one another, which were erected to some men who
fell in war, but who they fought against, whether Arcadians or any
other Peloponnesians, neither do the inscriptions on the tombs nor any
traditions of the people of Orchomenus record.
And opposite the town is the mountain called Trachys. And rainwater
flows through a hollow ravine between Orchomenus and Mount Trachys,
and descends into another plain belonging to Orchomenus. This plain
is not very large, and most of it is marsh. And as you go on about
three stades from Orchomenus, a straight road takes you to the town
of Caphya by the ravine, and after that on the left hand by the marsh.
And another road, after you have crossed the water that flows through
the ravine, takes you under the mountain Trachys. And on this road the
first thing you come to is the tomb of Aristocrates, who violated the
priestess of Artemis Hymnia. And next to the tomb of Aristocrates are
the wells called Teneæ, and about 7 stades further is a place called
Amilus, which they say was formerly a town. At this place the road
branches off into two directions, one towards Stymphelus, and the
other towards Pheneus. And as you go to Pheneus a mountain will lie
before you, which is the joint boundary for Orchomenus and Pheneus and
Caphya. And a lofty precipice called the Caphyatic rock projects from
the mountain. Next to the boundary I have mentioned is a ravine, and a
road leads through it to Pheneus. And in the middle of this ravine some
water comes out from a fountain, and at the end of the ravine is the
town of Caryæ.